Editorial: NYC soda ban not the right answer to real problems

Mario Tama/Getty ImagesNew York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg appears in this July file photo.

Well, it's official: New York City's Board of Health has approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg's city-wide ban on large, sugary beverages in movie theaters, restaurants and street vendors in the name of fighting obesity.

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Noble cause, silly tactic. Yes, soda and other sugary drinks contribute to obesity, along with a range of other unhealthy food choices, but a consumer thirsting for the sweet stuff can still find a million ways around the ban.

There may be some value in normalizing smaller portion sizes (and not just on soda, we might add). At the moment, however, New York City's on some thin ice with this strategy.

The New York Times reported last week that in its well-intentioned effort to make school lunches healthier, the city wound up serving low-income children school lunches containing fewer calories than mandated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Cutting out bad calories is good. Not adding back enough healthy calories to ensure kids get adequate nutrition according to federal standards is definitely not -- particularly when you consider that for many low-income children, school lunch may be their only reliable source of food.

Ironically, the New York Times reports, the city has also opted not to require schools to serve breakfast in classrooms -- a practice widely acknowledged to be among the most effective in making sure low-income children eat the free- and reduced-price morning meals they are entitled to -- based on the idea that it might encourage children to eat too much.

If the Bloomberg administration is so concerned with having New Yorkers achieve a healthy diet, perhaps it should focus first on ensuring that those in greatest need succeed.